Muddled Minds
by randomramblings
Summary: Legolas gets held captive in a cave by a mad man. Will he escape before the man stops remaining passive and turns violent? I think you know the answer to that. There's a reason why the Genre is ANgSt.
1. Adapting

Disclaimer: All facts and characters related to Tolkien's works are his.

**Muddled Minds**

**Summary: A Mad Man holds Legolas captive in his cave. **

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**Chapter I – Adapting **

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The now familiar sound of the steady rush of water into the pool of the cave was what Legolas woke up to. His eyes flew to the narrow beam of sunlight which had snuck in through a small gap between two rocks. It was nearly midday.

It was how he took note of the passing of time in this dark place where the sun was hidden from view. The light would travel across the wall of the cave as the day passed, until it faded completely with the setting of the sun.

The elf's teeth chattered miserably and knocked against each other. The cold was new to him. Everyday, the icy cold water would rise to about waist level and then go down again. His breeches were permanently sodden. No sooner had they dried did they get wet again. It was an endless cycle. His legs felt half frozen and he did not think he could stand if the strong leather strips which held him to the wall of the cave were taken away.

Not that there was much hope of that happening. Much as he hated to admit it, the situation was quite hopeless. Faroth and Andùnë should have returned to the palace now, provided nothing had happened along the way.

He hoped his friend was alright, it had been a pretty bad break and the jostling of his horse would not have helped matters. However, Legolas was not too worried. He trusted Andùnë completely and knew she would do whatever was in her power to bring her rider safely back home.

Even if they were now safely back home, there was little chance of their finding him. They still expected him to be stuck in that awful hole, a trap set by … Legolas glanced around worriedly, half afraid that thinking about him would summon _him_ back to the cave.

That brief moment of fear passed as the elf's common sense kicked in.

He had told – no ordered – Faroth to return to the Elven Realm, to get help and his arm seen to by a healer. Leaving himself in that deep dark hole, to await whoever who had dug it to return, praying fervently that help would arrive before whoever it was did.

Unfortunately, his prayers to the Valar were not answered. He shuddered at the memory.

So here he was now, in this cave which he had no memory of getting to, with little or no chance of getting found- a captive of a mad man. It was the latter which proved the most vexing.

Who knew what he might do next? He was completely unpredictable. He was harmless enough at the moment, ignoring Legolas for the most part but he was clearly insane.

A conclusion which the Prince of Mirkwood had made from observing him  tell stories to an invisible audience and mutter to himself incessantly. There was also that strange look in his eyes. The absence of something…

Legolas shifted slightly and wriggled his toes to get some feeling into them. They responded sluggishly to his commands. His legs too could barely move.

Not for the first time since his capture, the elf's gaze settled onto the other chained figure on the stone cropping perpendicular to his.

Initially, his heart filled with fear for his own fate whenever he stared at it. But now, all he felt was a strange kind of companionship with it, if companionship can be used to describe a casual acquaintance with a skeleton.

There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask it. Questions that would never be answered… like

_How did you die? Why are you here… did you fall into his trap like I did? Did you know the man personally? How long did you suffer before you finally passed on? Hope fleeing from your being like boatmen abandoning a sinking ship…_

Perhaps it was better not knowing the answers. The bliss of ignorance and all that.

The sound of feet being dragged approached the small entrance of the cave and then _he_ appeared.  

His hair was tangled and bound by small bits of sting that formed weird tufts of hair all around his head. His face was grimed with dirt and his teeth were blackened and rotting. Around his neck hung the small bones of animals.

His tattered clothes by some miracle remained on him and on his back hung a wooden club and a crudely made spear. He stared at Legolas with surprise in his eyes, as though startled to see him there.

He opened his mouth as if to speak but then closed it firmly again and turned away from the bound elf. Carefully, he placed his weapons on the ground next to a familiar looking bow and white knifes.

Legolas scowled in disgust at the thought of his beloved weapons being in the same league as the man's own weapons.

The smoky smell of wood burning filled the cave. The man approached hesitatingly and bent down with a small pot in his hands. He hurriedly filled the pot with water sparing barely a glance at the elf before returning to the upper portion of the cave.

The cave consisted of two levels. Legolas was being held captive in the lower part of the cave which was made up largely by a pool of water. Water from some river filled that part of the cave with fresh water daily. The upper portion remained dry as a bone and it was there that Legolas' captor lived.

It was much warmer in the higher part of the cave and much more comfortable too. From where Legolas stood, he could keep an eye on the mad man and watch his every move. The man too could do the same to Legolas.

Legolas heard lips smacking and looked up to see the man ripping at the flesh of an animal. Sensing the elf's gaze, the human paused and looked up as though embarrassed to be eating so barbarically.

_Such a strange creature…_Legolas thought to himself. His stomach growled reminding him of how long he had gone without food. Of water, there was plenty. Every time the level of water rose he would dip his head as far down as his bonds would allow him and get a good drink of water, trying hard to ignore his pride which stung at the fact that he was drinking like an animal.

He did not know how long his captor would remain passive nor had he any idea of how he was going to escape. For now, he was concentrating on simply surviving.

TBC…

**Please review! Opinions, comments, thoughts very much welcome…**

Notes:

Faroth: Friend of Legolas; his name means "_to hunt"_ or _"pursue"_

Andùnë: Legolas' horse; Her name means _sunset._

_(Meanings obtained from the Silmarillion)_

About the title: Quite obvious actually… The _Muddled Mind_ in question refers to the mad man.

Aragorn will not be making appearances in this story.


	2. Solitude

Disclaimer: All characters and facts related to Tolkien's works are his.

**Muddled Minds**

**Chapter II – Solitude**

It was so quiet in the cave. Besides the sound of water and the clicking of lizards, it was very silent. The only greenery in the cave was some moss which had grown onto the wet rocks. No birdcalls penetrated the thick walls of rock and the voices of trees could not be heard. No matter how hard Legolas strained his ears, not a whisper, from the woodelf's beloved trees, was audible.

He was famished. Elves have been known to go remarkably long without food, but with nothing to do in the cave, Legolas couldn't help his mind dwelling on the hunger which plagued him.

_What wouldn't he give for something to eat... _Even a small wafer of Lembas would satisfy his overwhelming craving for some form of sustenance. He remembered the first time he had tried the Elvish way bread…

_He__ un wrapped the leaves which kept the way bread hidden from sight and made it keep. It was a faint shade of brown and square-rish in shape. It didn't look very appetizing._

_He snapped off a small corner of the renowned way bread and placed it in his mouth. His eyes widened in delight. It was coated with honey which filled his entire mouth. It didn't require much chewing and seemed to dissolve in his mouth, forming a smooth, sweet, buttery paste which had a mild taste of berries._

_Eagerly, he broke off a bigger piece this time, observed that the inside was cream colored and crammed it into his mouth. The same thing happened as before and he gave a small sigh of contentment._

Legolas' mouth watered at the memory.

Did you starve to death? Did you waste away to nothing hanging there… till your skin was stretched tightly over your bones? And when your breathed your last, was the meager flesh left on your being picked at slowly by flies and other scavengers?

He directed these sobering thoughts at his silent companion. Futilely, he tugged at the leather strips that held him bound. They were strong and held. There were no sharp edges with which to cut them on. He sighed desperately. The lack of activity was getting to him. He almost wished that the man would return to the cave. That would at least give him something to watch.

The elf knew he should be thinking up ways to escape. What he had come up with so far was never going to work.

His first idea was to knock out the man when he came to get water. This was impractical as he was tightly fastened to the wall and there was no way his legs could reach out far enough to kick the man in the head. Even if he did manage to render the man unconscious, there was still that little problem of not having something sharp enough to cut the leather.

His second idea was to start moaning and groaning as though he was sick, this might lure the man near enough to attack. But what then? He thought, how could he let himself free?

He had to think harder, or he would be stuck here forever, never to feel the kiss of the sun or the caress of the wind again.

He shifted his foot which had become half embedded in the sandy soil. The tip of his boot nudged against something hard. _A rock…_ An idea came to him suddenly, and slowly, he tried to ease the rock out from the sand, it might just do to cut through his bonds. Precariously, he balanced the flattish rock on the top of his foot.

If he had not been wearing boots, he might have been able to grip the rock between his toes and bring it slowly to the surface. It would have involved a lot of flexibility but would just be manageable. Sadly, as luck would have it, there was a high chance of the rock slipping off Legolas' booted feet before it even made it halfway through the water.

Even so, he had to try.

As expected, the rock slid off the elf's foot and fell with a soft plop back into the water. Legolas felt his heart sink as swiftly as the rock had. He began to laugh hysterically, despair was slowly overcoming him.

His laughter echoed through the cave, bouncing off the walls and filling the place with the sound of his own mirth. Tears came to Legolas' eyes, and he looked down with surprise as they dripped down.

He winced as he shifted his upper body. There was a rather deep gash across his back, which he had acquired from falling into the Madman's trap. It had stopped bleeding thankfully and was already beginning to heal.

Restlessly, Legolas awaited the return of his captor.

_- - - - - - - - - _

_Nine days… _Nine days his beloved son had been missing. Twelve days since Andùnë had returned home with Faroth on her back and not Legolas. They had sent out a group of elves to the place where Legolas had fallen into the animal trap, but he was not there.

As if that wasn't enough, blood had been found on the leaves of a plant close by. No one had any idea where the Prince was. Their best trackers had been sent out but no traces of Legolas had been found.

_I will not lose my son this way… _Thranduil thought resolutely.

- - - - - -

TBC…

**Still rather uneventful… don't worry!! The action will start soon… Elf Angst to come… **

**Please review! **

_Notes: _

_Lembas___

_"The food was mostly in the form of very thin cakes, made of a meal that was baked a light brown on the outside, and inside was the colour of cream"_

_"but we call it Lembas or way bread. And it is more strengthening than any food made by Men, and it is more pleasant than cram, by all accounts."_

_"Why, it is better than the honey-cakes of the Beornings!" – Gimli_

_There isn't much in the book on how Lembas actually tastes… I assume it tastes of honey because of what Gimli says. The rest I made up. _


	3. Bugs and Encounters with Spears

Disclaimer: All facts and characters related to Tolkien's works are his.

**Muddled Minds**

**Chapter III – Bugs and Encounters with Spears**

He dropped the bundle in his hand and laid down his weapons. He then proceeded to untie the twine that held the cloth close. He picked up one of the fat wriggling creatures that were already scrabbling to get away from their forced enclosure and bit down on it with a juicy crunch.

Its legs were still wriggling when the rest of it disappeared down the throat of the man.

Legolas grimaced with disgust. The man was busy chomping away on bugs, picking them off the ground, where they were frantically trying to scurry away and chewing them up before they got too far.

When he had finally eaten his fill, he sank down into a corner of the cave and rubbed his belly with one hand contentedly, letting loose a loud belch.

_Uncouth humans! _Legolas thought to himself. All thoughts of his own empty stomach had diminished with the sight he had just witnessed.

The man seemed extremely satisfied with the feast of insects he had just had and fell quickly to sleep, the sounds of his deep breathing reaching the elf's ears.

A faint beam of moonlight sneaked in through the crack which let in the meager amount of sunlight during the day. Legolas imagined the stars that were concealed behind the layers of rock. He could almost see them in his mind's eye.

The man was a puzzle to him. Who was he and what was he doing in Mirkwood all alone? How had he avoided detection from the elves all this while… It was a mystery that perhaps would never be solved. A dark history lay behind those wrinkled black eyes, a history that only he himself could tell.

_xxxxx_

The presence of a threat made Legolas' eyes spring to awareness. The sharp tip of a wooden spear was pointed directly between his eyes. He froze not daring to move. His eyes traveled from the weapon to the dirty hand that held it and then the being's eyes.

Neither of them moved. The man tightened his grip on the spear and moved it back as though preparing to plunge it deep into the elf's skull. He watched his captive's eyes carefully and was taken aback by the lack of fear.

_Kill me then… if you must._ The Prince's eyes seemed to challenge.

There was something else there that the man could not make out. He had not had that emotion directed at him for many years. In fact, he had had little contact with any living creature other then animals for uncountable years. Slowly, he identified it as pity mingled with curiosity. The elf's head was tilted ever so slightly to the left as though voicing a silent question.

The man's gaze wandered from the fair face to the golden hair that hung about it. His hands began to tremble and his eyes showed conflict.

Legolas sensed the man's dilemma and remained still. Frankly, he held little hope that this showdown would have a happy ending.

The seconds ticked by and the two of them remained as immobile as the rock which surrounded them. The tip of the spear still stayed a mere hairs breath away from Legolas' face.

_So… the Prince of Mirkwood dies alone in a cave to the weapon of a man. An insane one no less. _Legolas mused. _I wonder what he will do with my body. At least he'll be getting a break from those filthy insects if he decides to … eat me._

Despite his black thoughts, it was not in the elf's spirits to give up so easily. Unconsciously, he had begun to inch his head as far back as the cave wall would allow, putting some more distance between the spear and his person.

Both their bodies were tense and ready for any sudden moves. Legolas was prepared to jerk his hand upwards to grab the spear and prevent it from moving any further forward, staking his life on his elven reflexes. The man on the other hand was still busy battling some unknown force which had been awakened in his head.

As quickly as the axe of an executioner coming down on the chopping block, the moment passed. The man relaxed his grip on the spear.

Nothing could have prepared Legolas for what happened next though.

The man turned his back on the elf and bent down to pick up something on the ground. Legolas barely saw the club coming as it flew towards him and connected painfully with his head. His vision blurred and he saw the man approaching once again.

A sharp pain erupted in his right leg and he cried out in surprise, his back arching in agony. Warm hot liquid poured from the wound to mingle with the crystal clear pool of water he was standing in. His head hung downwards as he breathed raggedly. The last thing he saw before he fell into the deep black hole of unconsciousness was the reddened water.

_xxxxx_

He was being dragged. Someone was gripping his upper arm firmly and pulling him along. His leg was protesting wildly against the rough treatment. He was leaving a trail of blood behind him.

It took Legolas' fuzzy mind a while to realize that he was being dragged in slow, agonizing circles. He had to pass the same tree thrice before he came to that conclusion.

He clenched his teeth and tried to ward off the nausea that was welling up in him.

He was in too much pain to rejoice at the fact that he was outside once more. His breath was coming in short gasps as he tried to control himself. When at last, the man stopped the strange ritual; Legolas was barely clinging onto awareness.

He was left on the ground bleeding and trying to get his breath back, blood encircling the area around him. When he looked up, the madman had disappeared from sight. He felt too weak to stand; the loss of blood combined with the lack of nourishment for the past week or so was taking its toil on him. He rested the side of his cheek against the cool ground.

The grass tickled his face but he barely noticed.

The air tingled with anticipation. Something was about to happen, but Legolas couldn't for the life of him guess what.

TBC…

**Hee**** Hee hee … evil me.**** Rubs hands in glee. Now the action begins. **

**Please, review! Lack of response will soon take its toil on me. **


	4. Bait

Disclaimer: All facts and characters related to Tolkin's works are his

**Muddled Minds**

**Chapter IV - Bait**

Bits of the moon peeked at Legolas from between the canopy of the trees.

Mustering up all his strength and will, Legolas began to inch forward, pulling himself towards the nearest tree. Its branches were spread wide like arms welcoming him into its embrace. _Just a little more_… it seemed to coo comfortingly.

What would be just a few steps in normal circumstances had stretched to a mile for the injured elf. His breath caught as waves of pain crashed over him every time his leg was dragged forward

He made it to the base of the tall trunk and reached out trembling fingers to stroke the rough bark. His chest heaving with the effort, he somehow managed to pull himself into a sitting position with his back resting against the tree.

He took a few breathes to steady himself and closed his eyes. A sheen of sweat had formed on his face and neck. With trembling fingers, he tore off a strip from his undershirt.

Carefully, he probed the wound on his left thigh. The spear had cut through muscle and almost come out through the other side, leaving a gaping hole in Legolas' leg. He wondered if any amount of bandaging would stop the bleeding.

He wrapped the piece of cloth tightly around the injury, his face contorting in pain. Blood quickly seeped through the white cloth.

That tended to, Legolas rested one arm tiredly on his stomach, his other lay limply at his side. He felt too exhausted to move another inch.

His head throbbed painfully and he tilted it back to lean against the rough bark. The cool air soothed him a little and drew him into a light sleep.

x

His hands flew to the hilts of his white knifes which were unfortunately absent. Muttering a few curses he waited for whatever he had sensed was approaching to appear. He tried to pull himself more upright but decided it didn't really matter when his body reminded him of his injuries.

Slumped against the tree his eyes scanned the area for the presence he felt. He wished he had something more than his bare hands to defend himself with.

Large paws padded up mere meters away from him and stopped. Legolas could not prevent a surprised gasp from escaping.

The animal in front of him seemed to be a warg, but it was much bigger than any warg that the elf had encountered in his long life.

The stiff hairs that ran from the top of its head, along its spine, all the way to the beginnings of its short tail stood in the air. Its dark brown fur bristled and its front legs were bent.

Legolas swallowed nervously. Adrenaline lent him the strength to rise and he got to his feet, swaying dangerously where he stood. He braced himself against the trunk of the tree and stared at the ugly face of the warg.

Its head had been turned in another direction but now it moved sharply to stare fixedly at the elf.

The powerful muscles on the beast rippled as it advanced slowly. One swipe of those long, sharp claws was enough to kill. It entered the circle of blood and paused.

Legolas saw its nostrils flare as it sniffed the air. For some reason the creature seemed to be on edge. That was probably what had prevented it from already attacking.

A wild yell burst through the trees along with the missing Madman.

He waved his spear wildly in the air as though beckoning to the warg to follow him. Its attention was diverted from the elf.

With his last remaining strength he began to climb the tree. He only made it to a branch about the height of two men off the ground when he stopped.

The sounds of a scuffle had broken out below.

The man seemed to have some bone to pick with the beast. He looked it straight in the eye, challenging it to attack.

Surprisingly, it did not.

The man slowly moved towards the left and the warg's head followed him unwaveringly.

Both were crouched and ready to attack at the slightest provocation. With a speed faster than the keen sight of an elf could follow, the man threw the spear. It pierced the warg's thick hide and came out through the other side.

The animal gave an almighty roar and snorted angrily. It shook its head as if the clear its senses. In that moment of distraction, the man leapt forward and pulled out the spear.

Blood spurted out of the wound and stained the ground. The warg jerked around to face the man and reached out with one massive paw. Using all its fading strength, it swiped at the man.

The man did not react visibly although from his precarious perch in the tree, Legolas could see clearly that deep gashes had been opened across his chest.

The warg swayed from left to right on its feet, before falling with a loud thump onto its side. It gave a pitiful whine and raised its head several times before going quite still.

Legolas was lying on his belly on a branch but it was taking all his strength to remain on it. His vision was beginning to blur. He strained his muscles, trying his best to balance himself.

His gaze fell to the bottom of the tree once more and his eyes met the eyes of the man. He was amazed at the lucidity of the bright green eyes that stared furiously up at him. His head was beginning to pound worst than before.

Darkness was creeping over his vision and he was powerless to stop it. Within moments he was lying limply on the branch.

TBC…

xxx

So, the mystery continues. More should be resolved in the following chapter or two… so stick around. BTW, school reopens for me on Monday so updates might not be so frequent.

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS. I was beginning to feel that maybe this story wasn't such a great idea but the reviews chased away some of my doubt. **

**Anyway, please review!!!! **

xxx


	5. Moral Dilemmas

Disclaimer: All Characters and facts related to Tolkein's works are his.

**Muddled Minds**

**Chapter V – Moral Dilemmas**

The deep gashes across his chest burned and were bleeding badly. The man saw the elf's body slump. Giving a guttural grunt and a shrug of his shoulders he turned to return to his cave.

A soft whimper reached his ears and stopped him in his tracks. In the dimming light of the sun, his sharp eyes caught sight of a thin dark river running along the crazy pattern of veins on the bark of the tree before dripping off onto the ground to mingle with the growing pool of blood that was forming around the dead warg's body.

The man hesitated as he had before in the cave when attacking the elf with the spear.

He loathed the idea of lugging the being all the way back home, but something compelled him to do just that. Perhaps he had been alone just too long and longed for more company than the walls and shadows in his cave. Whatever the reason, he turned back and laboriously brought the elf down from the tree.

He slung the elf over his shoulder, not un-gently and made for the direction of his home. The darkness mattered little for he knew the way around these woods as well as the back of his hand.

The elf remained unconscious even after they had arrived at the man's secluded adobe.

The cave dweller placed him carefully on the sandy floor of the cave. He collected his small pot from a corner and filled it with fresh water from the pool. Blood continued to ooze from the wounds he had obtained in the warg fight and he felt weak and light headed.

Black spots had appeared in front of him and he blinked, trying in vain to clear his vision. He closed his eyes and rested against a pile of furs, losing himself quickly to sleep.

xxx

Steam from the boiling pot of water was rising up and filling the small space where the man and elf lay. Despite this, the man had begun to shiver.

The warm tendrils of water vapor stroked Legolas' sensitive skin and he blinked. He almost bolted from where he lay when he saw the man so close by. He remained completely motionless save for his eyes, watching the man intently, afraid that he would wake at any moment.

The man was shivering and muttering words under his breath. His hands were balled into tight fists. Deep furrows had formed on his forehead in distress.

He let out a low moan. So soft, that it was almost lost on the air immediately.

Legolas edged forward and reached out his hand to touch the man's forehead. He was burning up. The gashes across his chest must have gotten infected.

The man made another sound of pain and Legolas automatically whispered elvish words of comfort, surprising even himself.

This was the man who had forced him to dwell in a place secluded from the wind and his beloved trees and stars for a little under two weeks.

This was the man who had brutally twisted his spear into his leg leaving a hole there which even now hurt like mad.

This was the man who had used the bleeding elf to bait a warg so he could do battle with the beast.

This strange human had done many odd things some harmless and some far from it, and now he lay on the ground suffering a raging fever.

The elf felt compelled to stay and tend to the man although the opening to the cave was like a gaping mouth that screamed at him to get out of here right now.

He cursed his own foolishness and bemoaned his active conscience, dragging himself towards the prone body of the man; he tore off another piece from his undershirt and dipped it into the cooling water. The fire was beginning to go out and the bubbles on the surface of the water had receded.

Tenderly, he began to clean the man's wounds. His own fingers shook slightly from weakness, but he did the self imposed duty as well as he was able.

He spotted his pack in a dark corner of the cave and pulled it towards him. Fumbling around in the dark, he tried to determine which herb was bramble.

His fingers were pricked against a thorny stalk and he grabbed hold of the small herb. He broke the dried blossoms off with his fingers and crushed them. He then laid them to the wounds of the injured man.

They were said to heal wounds if put without any delay. Legolas had doubts about their virtue when applied such a long while later, but decided it was worth a try. He pulled one of the pieces of fur over the man and settled down on the other side of the cave.

His eyes lit up as he realized he still had lembas in his pack. He took it out in triumph and un- wrapped it happily.

He was just about to place a wafer of the Elvish waybread into his mouth when he stopped and sighed heavily.

He crumbled a portion of the way bread and used the last bit of water to moisture it, forming a smooth paste. He fed it to the man who swallowed reflexively. He hoped it would help the man recover for Lembas fed the will and gave strength to endure and to master sinew and limb.

As though he was handling some precious treasure, which in his opinion he was, he wrapped up the rest of the waybread and put it back in his pack.

TBC…

I know this ended rather abruptly, sorry! And Sorry too for the awfully long wait. I'm going to be even busier this week, what with school and all…

BTW, I do not live in the US, which is why term has started for me. I live in a sunny little island called Singapore.

**Reviews are encouraging…. **


	6. Mysteries

**Disclaimer: All characters and facts related to tokien's works are his. **

**Muddled Minds**

**Chapter VI – Mysteries **

_He was burning – caught in an inferno. The flames were eating him alive, but he could not move; could not get away from the cruel heat that was tormenting him._

_Suddenly, everything changed. He wasn't being burnt anymore. There was someone else tied firmly to a stake and being consumed alive by the dancing orange tongues. He watched in horror as the white skin of the man turned black. He watched as the hair and face of the man's head became charred beyond recognition. He tried to turn away, but he could not. He could not turn away. _

_Tears filled his eyes as he watched his long time friend die, but he refused to let them fall. He denied them the satisfaction of seeing a once proud man break. Inside, his heart shattered and his soul writhed in agony at the utter helplessness of his situation. _

_Everything he had was gone. His name had been taken away from him, his wealth, his wife, his servants, his house, his land- one by one each piece of his life had been snatched from him and destroyed._

_It's not fair, he thought, just as malicious laughter sounded from behind. _

_"I told you, you would pay one day. When you least expected it. Didn't I warn you… the day you left my sister lying in the dirt with tears streaming down her face? She will be able to rest now. Now that you have paid for your sin…"_

_The bound man closed his eyes wearily. Just kill me and be done with it- I have nothing to live for now._

--

Legolas tried to soothe the man's distress, but he just seemed to grow more and more troubled. Finally, he reached out and taking hold of one shoulder shook the man.

The man's hand reflexively leapt upwards to catch the wrist of the one who was holding him, and his eyes opened. Legolas noticed for the first time that one eye was green and the other blue. Gently, he pried away the fingers that clutched his wrist and set the hand gently back down at the man's side.

The different colored eyes stared at him. Legolas moved cautiously away from the prone body of the man and sat on the opposite side of the fire. He tried to ignore the man's gaze by tending to the dwindling fire.

Legolas was startled by the soft croak that came from the man but hid his surprise well.

He did not reply but handed the man a wooden cup that he had found in the cave, filled with water.

The man gulped down the water greedily. When he had satiated his thirst, he put the cup down. He did not speak again.

The elf thought over the question. He supposed it was because it was not in him to leave a man to die alone in a cave. Also, a part of him was curious about the man. He did not answer and the man did not press him.

--

Over the days, it was obvious that the man's body was ailing. His face was getting paler and paler and Legolas observed that the man's hands had begun to shake. His eyes were shadowed and at times he was stuck with breathlessness. The warg scratches were healing well so it could not have been that that was causing the health of the man to worsen so drastically.

Legolas attempted to help him by offering him various crushed herbs that he thought might help, but the man stoically refused. There was nothing the elf could do. He couldn't very well force the herbs down the man's throat after all. It was not his choice to make.

The elf wondered at the mortality of men… one moment they could be out killing animals and the next their strength was waning like the light of the stars as dawn approaches.

He was deeply confused by the man's condition. He was dying, that much was obvious… but why all of a sudden? He mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts- he was no longer a prisoner… and yet why did he linger here in this dirty hole in the ground, with this strange creature? There was just something… a feeling of some sort that bid him to stay but a while more. He felt inexplicably at peace here… in the middle of no where and he couldn't for the life of him think of a reason why.

A head framed with an unruly, tangled mess of hair popped into the cave and the body that belonged to it followed. The man held onto the wall for support as he staggered into the cave and threw himself into a corner, struggling to catch his breath.

Legolas thought he saw something glint in the man's hand but the man moved his hand, concealing it from view.

--

That night, the man fell asleep more quickly then usual. Legolas watched him as usual but soon found sleep calling temptingly to him. He hadn't slept well in days. He was half afraid to because who knew what that capricious creature in the other corner would do in the dead of the night?

This time however, he was just too tired and his eyes soon unfocussed as he walked the path of dreams of his people.

--

The man lifted one eyelid cautiously and than the other, revealing his different colored eyes to the world. He listened to the even breathing of the elf and knew he was asleep. The opportune moment had come. He had to do it fast before his alertness registered on the elf's keen senses.

He pulled out the dagger from under his body- he had been lying on it- and moved stealthily to the elf's side. In one sweeping motion he swung the dagger downwards, aiming straight for the spot where he knew the wound opened would serve its intended purpose.

TBC…

**I am teriibly terribly sorry for the long long long delay! More soon! I promise! Did things just get a lot more confusing in this chapter? Hmmm… I think so… I'll straighten out the mysteries in time to come….**

**Once again I'm sorry…**


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